FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lakeland, Florida

Dean Saunders, licensed real estate broker and owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate (CBCSRE) in Lakeland, FL, has commissioned a fourth painting to add to The Saunders Collection: Natural Lands of Florida, now displayed in the Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate offices.

Each year, a different Florida landscape scene is selected by Saunders to be painted by well-known naturalist and landscape artist, Thomas Brooks. The commissioning culminates in a preview of the painting at the Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate BBQ each year, where Brooks sets up his easel and starts painting the newly commissioned scene for 2008, while displaying the completed and framed 2007 commission. 

The BBQ, hosting several hundred friends and clients of the business, is an annual year-end get-together, where the Saunders Cook Team slow cooks pork and rib slabs for the event. It has become tradition as well to unveil the newly commissioned painting-in-progress for the next year. At this time, Saunders hands out signed and numbered lithographs of the current year’s painting to those attending.

“Natural Florida land has a beauty that you cannot find anywhere else. It is a distinct landscape with unique wildlife. Preserving it both in nature and in art is important to me,” states Saunders.

Forever appreciating the now too rare natural Florida landscape, Dean Saunders continues to pursue ways to capture and conserve the state’s natural beauty. A sixth-generation Floridian, Saunders knows the natural Florida landscape that he enjoyed as a young man is a precious commodity for our future.

Saunders’ interest in conservation came early in his career, as he is a former Florida legislator who assisted in the creation of important property rights and conservation legislation. He served as Agricultural Liaison, Special Assistant, and Director of External Affairs to US Senator Lawton Chiles and then, Governor Chiles.

From those roots, he built a successful land company that guides landowners through the many facets of land transactions and conservation easements. This is what brought him to the idea of capturing the natural land’s beauty through the authentic landscape paintings of Thomas Brooks.

“I met Thomas Brooks about 20 years ago and have always had a great appreciation for his ability to capture natural lands and the wildlife around us. He was the right choice to start this collection for me.“

Born in Lakeland, Florida, Brooks grew up around the swamps and flatlands of central Florida. Brooks’ work has gained wide recognition over the years, as he now distributes his original works and limited edition prints nationally. This year, Brooks was chosen as Artist of the Year for the Plantation Wildlife Art Festival in Thomasville, Georgia. He has also been Artist of the Year for the Florida National Wild Turkey Federation and is doing a five-year series of paintings from 2007 thru 2011.

“My paintings begin with that glimpse of a moment in time that inspires me to paint a particular scene. With the use of value and color, I strive to create the desired atmosphere necessary to achieve the realism that brings the viewer into the painting,” states Brooks.

Mood and light of the natural world dominate Brooks’ paintings. Field excursions, photography, and on-location studies aid Thomas in gathering information for use in the studio, to faithfully record a scene or impression.

The works of Thomas Brooks now appear in many corporate, public, and private collections and are featured in a variety of publications. His work has received numerous awards and has been juried and accepted into many national wildlife art exhibitions. Donations of his works have been instrumental in fund-raising efforts for many charitable, wildlife, conservation, and environmental organizations. You may visit his website at www.thomasbrooks.com.  

Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate is a commercial and land brokerage firm that has specialized in transitional land since 1996. Also offering Conservation Easement and Land & Resource Management services, the company has 30 agents covering the State of Florida and beyond.

For more information about The Saunders Collection: Natural Lands of Florida, you may call 877-518-LAND. 

Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate is located at 5120 S. Lakeland Dr., Suite 3, Lakeland, FL 33813